


questioning them all | meanie

by bebishua



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 09:19:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15433881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bebishua/pseuds/bebishua
Summary: Mingyu was questioning everything anyone had ever told him about love, and now he knows why.





	questioning them all | meanie

     It was the first day of preschool, and Mingyu's parents wanted to make sure he looked his best. They knew it was important for him to make friends, as he only had one. Jeon Wonwoo, the boy who lived across the street, was the only kid his age that Mingyu knew. They had been friends ever since Mingyu's mom gave birth to him. Mr. and Mrs. Kim had always thought there was something strange about the relationship between the two, but pushed it aside when Mrs. Jeon explained that Wonwoo was clingier than the average kid, and he was probably afraid that Mingyu would leave him.

Mingyu was sitting at a table when Wonwoo walked in, nervously looking around. His eyes lit up as he jumped out of his chair to greet the other boy.

"Woowoo!"

Wonwoo gasped, hugging Mingyu tightly.

"Mingu!"

After the boys finished hugging, Mingyu grabbed the older boy's hand and walked him to the table he was sitting at. There were two other boys there, who introduced themselves.

"I'm Junhui!"

"I'm Minghao!"

Wonwoo waved shyly, causing Mingyu to giggle.

"Woowoo, don't be scared! They're really nice!"

Wonwoo only nodded and hugged his friend, something he does often when nervous or confronted with too many things going on at once.

"Woowoo," Mingyu cooed. "Don't be scared... Talk to them!"

"H-Hi Junhi... Hi Mingao..."

"Hi Wonu!" The two boys smiled brightly at the shy boy, who smiled back just as hard before burying his face in Mingyu's arm.

"What's going on here?" The teacher squatted down so that Wonwoo could see her face.

"No, Miss Becca, he's okay! He's just scared," Mingyu said, smiling at the teacher.

"Alright..."

The school day went on, Miss Becca teaching the kids their alphabet.

Soon it was nap time for the preschoolers, and the four boys placed their mats right next to each other. They were asleep when a small, shaky boy walked through the classroom door.

     He was smaller than the rest of them, obviously a year younger.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Chan," the boy whispered softly. "Is- Is this Miss Becca's room?"

"Yes it is," she responded calmly.

"I- I'm your student," Chan muttered, looking down.

"Oh, well the other kids are asleep so why don't you grab a mat and lay down somewhere?"

"Yes ma'am."

     When Mingyu woke up, there was a boy on his other side, but he could've sworn there wasn't anyone there when he went to sleep.

"Hi," he said quietly to the smaller boy. "I'm Mingyu, what's your name?"

"Hi Migu... I'm C-Chan."

"Hi Chan! Guys, look! This is Chan."

     Wonwoo rubbed his eyes as he sat up from his nap. Jun began waving furiously and Minghao smiled at the new kid.

"I'm Minghao!"

"Hi, I'm Junhui!"

Wonwoo looked nervously at Mingyu, hoping he would introduce him for him. Mingyu just smiled and looked back at him encouragingly.

"H-Hi Chan... I'm Wonwoo," the boy almost whispered, trying to hide behind Mingyu.

     The next day, Miss Becca had the kids introduce the friends they had made.

"This is Woowoo, that's Junhui, that's Minhao, and that's Chan!"

"Good, Mingyu! Now it's your turn, Wonwoo," the teacher said, not noticing that Mingyu had left out the 'n' in 'Wonwoo' and the 'g' in 'Minghao.'

     Wonwoo took a deep breath, and Mingyu grabbed his hand to comfort him.

"This is M-Mingu, that's Junhi, that's C-Chan," Wonwoo whispered, Mingyu still holding his hand tightly. "And that's Mingao!"

"Minghao, honey," the teacher corrected.

"Mingao?"

"No, Minghao."

"Mingao," Wonwoo said, sure that he had gotten it right that time.

"No. Repeat after me. Ming."

"Ming."

"Hao."

"Hao."

"Put it together," the teacher said.

"Mingao!"

     Miss Becca sighed. "Let's try aga-"

"No! Stop it," Mingyu yelled, hugging Wonwoo. "He can't help it."

"Don't yell at me, Kim Mingyu. He needs to learn how to say it."

"No he doesn't! He says it just fine! Leave him alone!"

"Time out, Mingyu. Go."

     Mingyu looked at Wonwoo sadly, getting up to go sit in the corner.

"Now, Wonwoo-"

"No!"

"Junhui, do you want time out too?"

"Leave Wonu alone!"

"Get in the corner."

     So Junhui left the table as well, and just as Miss Becca was about to speak, Minghao launched out of his seat to cover Wonwoo's ears.

"If he says my name is Mingao, my name is Mingao. You're the one saying it wrong."

"Now leave him alone!" Chan was glaring at the woman, who furiously grabbed her phone, calling the five boys' mothers.

     When their parents came to pick them up, Miss Becca sat the adults down and asked the children to tell them what happened. The kids left afterward, Mingyu leaving with Wonwoo.

     Gradually, Wonwoo became less shy, and by first grade, he could even talk to the students he wasn't friends with.

One day after school, he had invited Mingyu over. They spent the whole day together, and then it was time to sleep. The two boys put on their pyjamas and crawled up into Wonwoo's bed, cuddling one another.

     When Mrs. Jeon woke them up, Mingyu's parents were waiting downstairs.

"Mingyu, honey, your parents are here"

So the two boys got dressed and gathered all of Mingyu's things up. Wonwoo hugged him before leading him down the staircase.

"Bye, Gyu!" Wonwoo pulled the younger boy into another hug.

"Bye, Wonu!"

     But just as Mingyu got to the door, Wonwoo realized something. He had forgotten their best friend ritual.

"Mingyu, wait!"

"Huh?"

"We forgot our goodbye kiss!" Wonwoo ran up to the boy and kissed him softly, gently connecting their lips for a split second. Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo's hands in return, before being yanked away by his parents.

     "Mingyu?"

"Bye Won-!"

And his sentence was cut short by the front door slamming shut.

     "Jeon Wonwoo! Why did you do that?"

"Momma, that's what best friends do!"

"And who told you that?"

"Well you and Daddy kiss, and he's your best friend, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"And Mingyu's mommy and daddy kiss, and they're best friends. So why can't Mingyu and I kiss? We do it all the time."

     Wonwoo wasn't lying. They kissed on the playground, they kissed at lunch. They kissed when one was about to leave the other's house, just not in front of their parents, normally.

"Wonwoo, you can't just kiss Mingyu."

"Why not? You just randomly kiss daddy all the time," Wonwoo reasoned, not getting why his mom was mad at him for kissing his best friend.

"Your Daddy and I are married though."

"Mingyu and I are married too! We got married on the playground because best friends always get married!"

"I kiss your dad because I love him, and I'm his wife."

"I love Mingyu a lot, so I kiss him often! I'm his husband!"

     The woman sat her son down, sighing.

"Wonwoo, you can't just kiss him."

"But why not? I don't understand it..."

"...Do you love Mingyu?"

"Yeah! I love him a lot!"

"No, baby, I mean as a boyfriend. Are you dating Mingyu?"

"I do love him that much! We're married, and we promised each other that we would get married for real when we got older!"

"But do you like Mingyu? As in like him as if he were your boyfriend?"

     Wonwoo froze for a second.  _Would he get in trouble for lying? Or would he get yelled at for the truth?_

"Yeah," he muttered, going with the truth.

"Does he like you like that?"

"Yeah, he told me so! But don't tell his parents, they'll get mad at him..."

"Why?"

"Gyu said they don't support being um... I forgot the word."

"Gay?"

"Yeah! They don't support being gay, and when two boys like each other, they're 'being gay.'"

"So are you and Mingyu dating?"

"No, he isn't allowed to date... I wish we were, though."

     Mrs. Jeon began to worry.  _Where would Mingyu go after this? What if they shunned Wonwoo?_

     Mrs. Kim shut her car door and began to drive.

"Kim Mingyu! Why the hell did you let him do that?"

"What do you mean? I wanted it!"

"You wanted it?!"

"We always kiss, Momma! It's what best friends are supposed to do!"

"No it isn't! Did he tell you this?"

"No, I told him."

     Mingyu's mom was furious, her face blood red and steam almost coming out of her ears.

"Mingyu! Where the fuck did you get an idea like that? Little boys only kiss little girls. Do you understand that?"

"No, Momma, I love Wonwoo, why can't I kiss him?"

     The woman almost wrecked the car when Mingyu finished.

"I don't want you around Wonwoo from now on," she growled.

"But Momma! Please, he's my best friend! I can't live here without him!"

"Then I guess we'll be living somewhere else."

     Mingyu began to cry. His mom made him start to pack all his things up, and by Sunday, they were moving into a house that they owned halfway across the world in Great Britain.

     Wonwoo had never known why Mingyu was dragged out of his house that day, and he never knew that day would be the last time he ever saw Kim Mingyu, the boy he loved. He never knew until he got older.

     He never knew until he realized seven years later that Mingyu wasn't coming back. He never knew until he realized he was the one who drove his first love away with a kiss.

     Sure, Wonwoo dated after losing Mingyu. From eighth grade to tenth, he dated a boy named Lee Seokmin. They would go on small dates, meeting up at football games and making out under the bleachers, sitting in the very back of movie theaters to cuddle, and meeting in little cafes to study while they hold hands. Wonwoo was sure he loved Seokmin, so why did it feel wrong to be with him? The two boys ended up deciding to be just friends, as they didn't feel anything special for the other any more.

     In his junior year, he dated a boy named Hong Jisoo, who had just been through a nasty break-up with a girl Wonwoo didn't know.. They would read together, sit in the park together, and listen to music together. Jisoo never kissed Wonwoo, just because he wanted his first kiss to be special, and only once he knew he had found the one. They too agreed on being just friends halfway through the year, and Jisoo went on to fall in love with Seokmin. Wonwoo loved seeing them happy, and was a proud third wheel.

     During his first year of college, Wonwoo met someone on a dating website. His name was Seungcheol, and he was extremely charming. They were set to go on a date that day. The two had fun, flirting and playing around, but just as the night was about to end, a stranger walked up to the two.

"Seungcheol!" The man brokenly cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Jeonghan, listen, I-"

"No, save it. Cheol, I thought you liked me," Jeonghan whimpered. "I thought we had something."

"Are you guys dating?"

"We were," Jeonghan said with an edge.

"Screw you, Seungcheol. Don't ask for a second date," Wonwoo snarled, pushing Seungcheol back and walking toward Jeonghan. He was pissed to say the least.

     Jeonghan shot the cheating man an extremely rude hand gesture. "Let's go," he said to Wonwoo.

"Hey, I haven't eaten dinner," Wonwoo laughed as they walked away. "You wanna go get something with me?"

"After tonight, that sounds nice."

"You're not... upset with me about all this, are you?"

Jeonghan laughed. "God no! It's not your fault. You seem like a good guy, a good friend."

"Thanks, I'm glad you don't hate me," Wonwoo smiled.

     The two men ate at a fast food restaurant, talking up a storm. They exchanged numbers before they left, as they had become good friends.

"You know, you should meet my friends and I at the deli for lunch tomorrow, it'd be fun," Wonwoo offered.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jeonghan said before getting in his car. "Goodbye Wonwoo, I'll see you later!"

     The next day, Wonwoo was sitting outside at a table with five other men. Junhui, Chan, Minghao, Seokmin, and Jisoo were all there, waiting for Jeonghan.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"Guys, this is Jeonghan," Wonwoo grinned, pointing up at the standing man.

"Are you guys... a thing?"

Wonwoo and Jeonghan began laughing, the youngest of the two hitting the table.

"No, Jun," Wonwoo managed to get out.

     The rest of their lunch went well, the other five men asking for Jeonghan's number and Wonwoo adding them all to a groupchat.

     Mingyu stepped off the plane and into the airport. He missed America, but as much as he'd like to move back, he had a job in Great Britain, and that was the reason he was in America in the first place. He looked around, taking a deep breath in and smiling. His stomach began to growl ferociously, so he searched for nearby restaurants.

     He walked into a small sandwich shop on the corner of the street. A small bell rung faintly as he walked in. Mingyu was seated by the hostess, and after a minute, his waiter came around the corner.

"Hi, I'm Wonwoo and I'll be taking care of you today. What can I get you to drink?"

Mingyu couldn't breathe. His first love, his best friend that he's been missing for fourteen years was standing beside him.

"W-Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo looked up with a laugh. "Yeah, that's my- Mingyu?"

"I- This can't be real..."

"J-Just tell me what you want to drink and I'll ask my manager if I can have a break."

"Water, please."

     Wonwoo returned a few minutes later with two glasses of water.

"She told me that my shift ended thirty minutes ago, oops."

Mingyu laughed, and Wonwoo began to tear up.

"Wonwoo? What's wrong?" Mingyu grabbed his hand from across the table.

"I just-... I missed you so much, Gyu..."

Mingyu got up from his side of the booth and climbed in the seat next to Wonwoo, pulling him into a hug.

"I missed you too, Wonu," the younger man whispered, placing Wonwoo's head in the crook of his neck and burying his face in the older's hair. He pulled back after what felt like forever, placing one hand on Wonwoo's cheek and one inside the older's hand.

     "Do you even know why they made me move?"

"Because of me," Wonwoo sighed, looking away from Mingyu.

"No. It's because you made me question everything they had ever told me about love."

"What?"

"I looked at you as a friend until I realized I loved you. I didn't want a girlfriend in first grade. I wanted you. But they didn't want me to be like that, so they moved me away. That way, I could see all the girls in the universe and not just be concentrated on the brightest star in my galaxy."

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Mingyu muttered, eyes watering as he glided his thumb across Wonwoo's tear-stained cheek. "Only you."

"But it didn't work, did it?"

     Mingyu shook his head. "No, it didn't. I love you, Wonu. I always have."

"I love you too, Gyu."

Throughout the day, the two caught up on everything they had missed. It was only when Mingyu dropped Wonwoo back off at his apartment that it got awkward. Mingyu didn't know what to say and he watched Wonwoo walk away from him. Then it clicked.

"Wonu, wait!"

     Wonwoo snapped around quickly, and was met with Mingyu's lips on his. They moved slowly, fitting together like puzzle pieces. After some time, the oldest pulled back.

"We forgot our goodbye kiss," Mingyu whispered, and Wonwoo melted.

"Y-You remembered..."

"Of course I did. Now go get some sleep," Mingyu spoke brightly. "Text me when you get up."

"Okay," Wonwoo mumbled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stay awake. "Can I- um... Can I have another goodbye kiss?"

     Mingyu wrapped his arms around Wonwoo's waist and placed his lips on the older's. He had forgotten how it felt to kiss Wonwoo, how it felt to be able to know someone loved him, how it felt to hold the older's hand as their lips moved in sync, how it felt to watch the world disappear around him. He could only see Wonwoo, and he only wanted to see Wonwoo.

"Goodnight, Wonu."

     A month later, Mingyu was lying in the park with Wonwoo when he realized something.

"Hey, Wonu?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I have to go back tomorrow, right?"

"Mingyu, I don't want to talk about that..."

"No, but hear me out. I don't have to leave. Well, I have to leave, but only to grab the things I need to immigrate. I was going to move back here anyway, but-"

"Wait, you're moving here? Where are you gonna live?"

"I- Well, I don't know yet. But I want to get away from my parents."

"Why? What happened?"

     Mingyu sighed, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. "They're trying to set up a date for me. My dad knows this family and he's really fond of the family's daughter. She doesn't like me like that, we've talked about it."

"Oh..."

"But I'm not going on a date with her! I'm moving here, and I was hoping to- um- to be with you, actually," Mingyu stuttered nervously, his face heating up.

     Wonwoo eyes the younger man, attempting to figure out what he meant.

"You want to be my boyfriend?"

Mingyu nodded.

"After all this time? After fourteen years?"

Mingyu nodded again, looking down. Was Wonwoo mad at him? Was he hurt?

"Even after your parents dragged you away from me and forced you to like girls?"

"Yes! Yes, Wonu! I've always wanted to be with you! When I kissed those girls, I imagined it was you I was kissing! I never wanted them, I wanted you!"

     The older man began to tear up, grabbing Mingyu's hand.

"I can't believe you still want me... I-"

"Wonwoo, you don't have to say anything. Just- Can I kiss you?"

"You can always kiss me," Wonwoo whispered, pressing his forehead to Mingyu's, who kissed him gently, as if he could break.

     "Do you want to come back to Britain with me when I get my stuff? You can meet my friends, the ones who are also moving here, and-"

"Of course, Gyu. I'd love to go. Also, don't worry about where you're going to stay."

"Why not?"

"I have room for one more in my bed," Wonwoo grinned.

     So the couple packed their things and left the next morning for Great Britain. They were greeted in the airport by Mingyu's friends, who introduced themselves.

     There was a bright, happy man with purple hair holding hands with a shorter, more displeased-looking man. Next to them was someone Wonwoo recognized from high school, who had his arm wrapped around another man's waist. Their names were Soonyoung, Jihoon, Hansol, and Seungkwan respectively.

"Wonwoo?" Hansol was surprised to see him.

"Hansol! When did you move here?"

"I-I didn't, I came here with Soonyoung to meet up with my boyfriend," he admitted, looking over lovingly at Seungkwan. "He's coming back to America with me so we can start a family."

"Hansol, that's great! I'm so happy for you," Wonwoo smiled brightly at his old friend.

"Jihoon is coming back with me," Soonyoung said excitedly.

     Mingyu smiled and told the men to wait for him to grab his things, then they would go out for food and get ready for their flight back to America.

      "Man, jet-lag is a bitch," Wonwoo muttered to his boyfriend as they stepped into the American airport with their four friends. They were met by Wonwoo's friends, three of which lost their shit at the sight of Mingyu.

"MINGYU!" The three men recognized him instantly, pulling him into a hug.

"Junhui? Minghao? Chan?"

"We missed you, you asshole," Minghao said.

"What the fuck did you leave for?"

Chan stepped back and punched Mingyu in the stomach. "Where were you? I fucking missed you!"

"I'm sorry guys, I couldn't help but move! I didn't have a choice. Anyway, who all is here?"

      Wonwoo smiled. "Gyu, meet Jisoo, Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Seokmin."

"But I thought Seungcheol-"

"He apologized and Jeonghan and i gave him a second chance at being friends," Wonwoo explained.

"Ah, okay."

With that, the group of thirteen left the airport and walked around together, getting to know one another.

     About a year later, Mingyu was sitting on the couch with Wonwoo's head in his lap.

"Mingyu, do you remember the promise we made when we were little?"

"Which one?" Mingyu laughed. "We made so many."

"Ah- um... nevermind, it's stupid."

     A sudden, awkward silence settled over them, so Mingyu decided to fix it. He knew exactly which promise Wonwoo meant.

"Hey Wonu, let's play a game," the younger man said, grabbing a cootie catcher from the table. "Pick a number, one, three, five, or seven?"

"Uh... one."

"One. Okay so pick another one, two, four, six, or eight?"

"Two."

"One, two. Last one, pick a number, two, four, six, or eight?"

"Eight."

     Mingyu pretended to open a flap on the catcher and placed it next to Wonwoo's head. The older man read the words on the paper and almost fainted.

     Written inside the catcher was only four words, "Will you marry me?" No numbers, no fortune, just that. And in between the flaps, there was a beautiful ring. Wonwoo shot up, almost tackling Mingyu in his haste to hug and kiss him. He clung onto his boyfriend's shirt as if it were the end of the world, body shaking with sobs.

"Yes," Wonwoo whimpered into Mingyu's shoulder, truly ecstatic about being engaged to Mingyu. He couldn't believe he had remembered their promise.

     They got married four months later in the same spot they did twenty years ago; their preschool playground. They said the same vows they said twenty years ago. They kissed the same way they did twenty years ago. They looked at each other the way they did twenty years ago.

_They loved each other the way they did twenty years ago, and twenty years from their wedding day, they'll still love one another just the same._


End file.
